For weeks the Browns vacillated on whether to draft Penn State defensive end Courtney Brown or his teammate, linebacker LaVar Arrington. In the end they went with Brown for the simple fact he plays end, more of an impact position in the 4-3 defense the Browns play.

"If you study the Penn State defense, it really was designed for Arrington to make a lot of plays because of his athletic ability and his ability to run to the football," coach Chris Palmer said. "Courtney Brown, Brandon Short and other people up front had to keep Arrington clean. But when you start studying the film -- I don't want to take anything away from Arrington -- you say 'Courtney Brown is being double-teamed and triple-teamed and he's still making play after play.' He has a chance to be very, very good with more people around him. He has an influence on what's going to happen in the game."

Virtually every Browns defensive statistic from last year was a negative, and they can all be traced to lack of a pass rush, which Brown should definitely upgrade. They were last in the league in sacks (25), last in the league in third-down defense (46.8 percent) and last in the league in interceptions (eight). An improved pass rush can change all those numbers. Brown had 13 ½ sacks last year.

The Question

The only question the Browns had was how Brown will perform without Arrington. They are convinced the 269-pounder will be fine going solo. And besides, he'll be switched from left end, where he played at Penn State, to right end with the Browns. That means he'll have veteran linebacker Jamir Miller on the same side. If opponents concentrate too hard on neutralizing Brown, Miller will improve on his 4 ½ sacks of last year, and Brown will be a major reason.

The Browns did a painstaking background check on Brown. The biggest shocker of the draft would be if he turned into a problem off the field.

"If you were looking for a better person he'd have to be Superman," Browns president Carmen Policy. "We talked to a teacher of his for about an hour. She said he was a great student and a leader in the class and a hard worker. Finally she said there was one negative. She said, 'There's only one of him.' "

Brown will not come in as the starter. When training camp begins, he'll have to take the job from Keith McKenzie, who signed with the Browns thinking he would finally be an every-down player. That will not happen, so it will be interesting to see how McKenzie reacts to being a situational pass rusher, a role he did not like in Green Bay and the major reason he did not re-sign with the Packers.

Noteworthy

Sure, Courtney Brown can rush the quarterback, as his 33 sacks at Penn State attest, but how is he against the run? "He played left end in college," Palmer said. "Most teams run to the right. If you look at his stats, he had 70 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. He's very solid against the run." ... Tim Couch, the quarterback taken with the first pick last year, was sent to New York on draft day to welcome Brown to the Browns. It was not the first time they met. On New Year's Day, 1999, Couch was quarterbacking the Kentucky Wildcats against Penn State in the Outback Bowl. Brown sacked him twice. "I ran to the left on one play," Couch recalled. "I wanted to run upfield and I ran away from Courtney's side on purpose. I thought there was no way he could get to the corner before I did, but when I got there, there he was." ... Also in that Outback Bowl, Brown had four tackles on running plays for losses totaling 24 yards. ... His best game as a senior was against Illinois -- eight tackles, three sacks, four tackles for lost yardage totaling 25 yards, a forced fumble and a deflected pass.

Pre-draft scouting report

Combine Numbers

Height	Weight	40 yards	Vertical	Long jump	Bench	Shuttle	Cone
6-4-7/8	269	dnp	dnp	dnp	dnp	dnp	dnp

Talented senior defender completed a terrific career in Happy Valley with the Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year award as well as the Penn St. senior MVP award among others. Courtney set several new Penn St. records over his career with 33 career sacks and 70 tackles for losses, plus the season mark for tackle for losses with 29 the most impressive. When you consider all the great defensive players that have attended Penn St. these records take on even greater impact. As a senior, he made 55 tackles with 13.5 sacks, 29 TFLs and 3 FC on his way to Conference Player of the Year honors. His sack total is the second highest in Penn St. history while the tackles for losses are the third highest in Big 10 history. He accomplished these marks while facing weekly double-teaming and sometimes triple blocking schemes.

He is a superb talent with the upfield speed off the corner to be an impact defender as a pass rusher. Along with his excellent athletic ability, he has outstanding intangibles that have allowed him to elevate every other defender's playmaking ability on the Nittany Lions' defense. He combines the rare speed and quickness for a player of his dimensions to keep defensive coordinators working overtime, developing schemes against him. He has developed advanced use of his hands and arms to separate from blockers and get them quickly off balance. This creates opportunities for him to explode to the ball. He has the explosive burst to the ball, showing the ability to come out of his stance quickly and displays the fast lateral movement to come back underneath as a rusher.

During the '98 season, he totaled 47 tackles with 23 TFLs and 11.5 sacks. He gets excellent use of his long arms to keep blockers off his body and deflect passes. He uses his huge wingspan to disrupt passers and explode to runners in pursuit. He uses his wingspan very well to disrupt passing lanes, in addition to always keeping blockers at bay. He has a burst to the ball, showing linebacker type speed with the power to finish the play with strong hits. He has legitimate 4.6 speed, which is extremely rare for an athlete with an 86" wingspan. In the game against Purdue this past season, Brown intercepted a Drew Bress pass and brought it back for a game winning TD.

He has the same body type as Andre Wadsworth, though not as advanced as the Cardinal defender in run defense. While his speed allows him to be dangerous in pursuit along the line, he needs some work at the point of attack to take on 300 lb. plus linemen regularly and over the course of the game. He has the frame to carry over 270 lbs. and could approach the 280 lb. range with weight training. He has an excellent motor, playing at full throttle the entire game. He has outstanding backside pursuit in run support, showing keen diagnostic skills in general as a defender. He is the prototypical defensive end in a 4-3 set. He is rangy, fast, strong and he has the frame to get bigger.

He fits the mold of Bruce Smith and Andre Wadsworth as a super blue chip athlete with early impact ability as a pro. He carries a top-three grade and could be the surprise first overall pick of the Browns after a lengthy offseason to discuss the top three premium prospects. Talented athlete with big play ability and all the components to be an annual Pro-bowler performer. Big time defender and possible first overall pick.

Draft Projection: 1st Round

Tackles

Year	G	Total	Solo	Asst.	For Loss	Sacks	Int
1996	12	17	6	11	3-19	2-13	0
1997	11	33	25	8	15-60	6-42	0
1998	11	47	37	10	23-113	11.5-86	0
1999	12	55	33	22	29-150	16-107	1-25
Totals	44	152	101	51	70-342	35.5-248	1-25